Et Nox Facta Est
by MistressCullen
Summary: Jacob Black is living a good life: he’s at ease with his best friend Bella being in love with Edward, he’s getting along and enjoying the company of the nearby vampire coven, but what happens when Jacob imprints on the newest member of the Cullen family?
1. Chapter 1

Et Nox Facta Est

Chapter 1: Falling in the Abyss

79 A.D.

Darkness. Ariana awoke from her sleep, only to find darkness. Usually, her mother, Livia, would leave a lantern lit by her bedside, but her mother was not here anymore. She was gone. She had been missing for a week, suddenly abandoning her family, an unheard of thing, especially in Pompeii. It was a wonder to Ariana that her mother would leave so unexpectedly; it was most unlike her.

"Ariana, is that you child?" She heard her father's voice ring out from the atrium of the house. It sounded slurred. _Most likely drunk again,_ she thought.

"Yes, father." She responded in a perfectly normal and submissive tone.

"Don't talk to me like that you ungrateful girl. If I was in my right mind…" He trailed off, his intoxication getting the better of him.

_Make that definitely drunk._

She heard her father start up again, "… just like your ungrateful mother. Always flirting and independent, not like a woman of my class should be…"

Ariana quickly got ready, knowing where this conversation was going. She had already heard it everyday for the last week, always in the same drunken stupor.

"… it's those elites that have kidnapped her… no respect for the good plebeian man… always stealing our wives out from under us…" her father murmured in the background. Ariana hoped that he would stay on this tangent and not criticize her anymore, but seconds later.

"And it does not help that I have an insolent daughter who can not even marry because _'she isn't in love'_… I have the right as a father to have you killed… insolent, intolerable girl! " He mocked her in a sing-song voice. "Love! Look where that got anyone. Everyone knows that you marry for money, position. Does the great god Jupiter love his Juno? NO! But I bet she's a good— "

"Father," Ariana interrupted, "I'm off to the mausoleum." She quickly left the house, feeling that if she stayed any longer it would cause more trouble.

Her father blamed her mother's disappearance on the elite society, accepting the habit of men to seduce and steal other men's wives. But Ariana could not help but wonder if it had something to do with the rumors floating about the city of missing persons, blood trails, and ghosts. Could it be that her mother was lost to this chaos? Would she ever see her mother again? Ariana pushed these painful thoughts aside and concentrated on her duties. As her mother was gone, it was her responsibility to be the woman of the house; that is until her father, Gaius Arianus got remarried.

Today was the day she would offer to her ancestors a sacrifice for her mother's safety.

_Her life_, Ariana involuntarily thought.

She left the house early, having a long walk ahead of her through the city of Pompeii to her family's mausoleum. Glad to be out of her gloomy house, Ariana walked swiftly and purposely to her goal. It was the least she could do to be the best daughter possible, as she had shamed her family before. Ariana was sixteen, old to be unmarried, though she had denied marriage proposals before. This was an unusual thing for a Pompeian woman to do, as her father had the right to kill her for her lack of obedience.

The city was alive and busy as usual. Ariana found herself at her destination sooner than she thought, about midday. She slowly took the stairs underground to her family's final resting place. It was an old and ancient structure, with over ten generations of her family buried here. This would be where Ariana saw the last of her days, if she never married. The walls were covered with a green slime, the air felt as if it had just rained, damp, thick. It was not until she reached the door of the tomb until she could smell the odor of decay. Usually the air was stale, as if not disturbed for years, but today Ariana thought it smelt different.

She slowly pushed aside the door, only to see the familiar sight of her ancestors, decayed to varying degrees. The sight seemed ominous somehow; she had never been here without her mother. She wished she was there now. A sudden shadow made her eyes flicker. She thought she had seen a strand of fire-like hair wiping around the column. Ariana quickly corrected herself, blaming the illusion on the wish to see her mother's long, bright red hair again. She quickly shuffled her feet into the main part of the tomb, pieces of ash and bone crunching beneath her feet.

She felt a slight rumble under her feet, dust seeping down from the walls around her. The light from the open windows flickered slightly. Pompeii had been experiencing these tremors for a few days now; Ariana was almost used to them. Most of them were so minor they were ignored. Bending down to prepare for the sacrifice of some of her father's finest wine and grains, Ariana distinctly heard the voice she had been wishing to hear.

"Come here, my pet," it called.

Ariana quickly snapped up to see none other than her mother. She had changed somehow. Ariana's eyes quickly scanned over her appearance. Her fiery hair was tangled and seemed to be stuck together in knots. Her dress was stained dark on the front, as if she had spilt wine. However, it was her eyes that made Ariana fear most. She could see even with the dim sunlight that was allowed in through the windows that her mother's eyes were a bright, sickening red. Ariana recoiled backward at the longing that she saw in her mother's eyes.

Suddenly, she felt herself thrown to the ground as if a boulder had crashed down upon her. A fire of pain erupted in her shoulder. She felt as if her body was shaking beyond control, blaming the pain for this reaction. However, through dizzy eyes Ariana looked around her, seeing her mother suddenly stand up, blood dripping from her lips. She looked towards the ceiling, dust and dirt falling from it at an alarming rate. Ariana realized that it was not her body, but a much stronger tremor. She closed her eyes and reopened them, her mother was gone. In agony, Ariana sat herself up, looking up at the windows. She could hear screams.

The sky started growing dark, dimming the sunlight that entered the tomb. Ariana heaved herself in pain to the tallest alter, the resting place of her great-grandfather. All that lied there was cloth and ash. She could feel the bones of her ancestor beneath her knuckles, crunching with her every breath. With her last lingering strength, she sat up to see the last rays of sunlight diminish, her eyes flickering wildly with the pain. The amber glow loitering was growing darker and darker. The screams were becoming unbearable, haunting. With a last breath she threw back her head and added to the screaming. Unconscious from the pain, there Ariana lay, alone in her family's mausoleum.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: As a Dead Man Holds onto his Tomb

A few weeks later…

Darkness. Ariana awoke again to darkness. Suddenly, pain shot though her arms, legs, eyes, lips. How long had she been asleep? The silence of the tomb was eerie. She could no longer hear the noises of the city bustling outside. There were no subtle background noises. Her ears filled with a soft static, coping with her involuntary fear of silence. She slowly got up and looked around the room; the floor was lined with dark soot-stone, the stairway upward, smooth as a rock slope. She realized she would have to dig her way out. It took four days of constant digging for her to finally see moonlight. She could feel how she was changed. She was different. Her body was stronger, quicker. Her hands did not even ache from the rock she used that was constantly digging into her. She did not even bleed as it cut into her skin. She was stronger. Yet, she could tell that this was not even her full strength.

Ariana emerged from her tomb to see the city she knew. But it was different as well. It was covered in a blanket of death, scenes of tragedy frozen with fire. There were no survivors, no sound or pools of blood to distinguish the statues of rock as once living. Her home was a mere graveyard filled with figurines and shadows. The world was silent; the world was calm. She did not know how long she walked around the town until the hunger took over her.

She walked towards the mountains, and let instinct take hold of her. Her body was desperate for blood. Ariana knew her body was frantic for human blood, from the rumors circulating before her attack. It was her only wish to not add to the massacre she was leaving behind. If she could help it, she would only feed on what was necessary, not humans. This was her firm resolve.

The first scent she picked up was a wild beast. Ariana let her body be taken over by instinct again as she chased it fervently through the forest, chasing the animal quickly and calculating. In one swift movement she captured the beast, even surprising herself at her new, natural skill.

Right before she bit into the dark wolf's skin, she muttered, "Aurea Mediocritas," in regret, as this was the only way. She vowed to herself never to forget that mother wolf, who gave her strength again.

The next two thousand or so years passed. Ariana relied on her previous knowledge to exist. She stuck to the night, never letting sunlight touch her skin. She also avoided humans, though stole books, clothes, and other necessities to help her with the numbers of civilizations she saw fall. She had seen all the great nations of the world rise and collapse, like the waves of the ocean she gazed at now. It was the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, Ariana now knew that America laid to the west of that great barrier, and done exploring her own continent, she hoped to find more beings like herself. She was alone. Not knowing if there were any more like her. This utter loneliness was all she knew.

It took her nine months to travel the ocean, swimming deep to avoid the sunlight that she feared out of ignorance. Reaching the new world, Ariana soon attempted to communicate with humans, finding that this was really her only option. However, she never truly trusted the voice telling her to bite-- feed. She searched the continent by night only, rarely coming across something of note, something to make her suspicious.

She was in a small town now, but precisely where she could not say. She knew no one, and no one knew her. And yet, when she looked down the road she was walking on, there was a young woman, about her age, waiting there for her, waving at her as if she was welcoming her. Her name was Alice.

Author's Note: "Aurea Mediocritas" is the Latin term referring to the golden mean. It has to do with the balance between to undesired extremes.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Eternal Nights

A few hours earlier…

Bella sat on the couch of her father's house, thoroughly enjoying the moment. It was July 4th and her summer after her high school graduation definitely had taken a turn upward. Her three "families" collided into one peaceful and surprisingly friendly truce. She sat between Jacob, her werewolf best friend, and Edward, her vampire boyfriend.

This peace was a new development. After a long absence, Jacob had returned a week ago to La Push and Forks, a changed man. No one knew where he went or what he did. Bella was sure Edward could find out for her, but he now respected Jacob too much to do so. Though Bella was haunted by her best friend's absence, knowing it was her fault, she was surprised to find that Jacob's sabbatical faired well for him. It seemed he was finally at ease with Bella choosing Edward over him and was even happy and friendly towards the couple.

In honor of Jacob's return from "summer camp", Charlie decided to throw a July 4th welcome-back-cookout for him. The charade of summer camp had been Billy's idea, and was reinforced by Jacob's darkened skin color and increased muscle mass upon his return. Charlie, glad of Jacob returning, allowed Jacob to invite whomever he wished to a cookout.

However, Charlie was surprised when Jacob invited the Cullen family, a local vampire coven, who up until earlier this summer had been hated by the tribe of La Push. However, most of the Cullen family had already planned to go "camping", the façade they used for hunting wild animals for blood, rather than humans. Charlie of course was ignorant of all of this. Nevertheless, Bella's boyfriend Edward was able to attend, along with his adopted sister Alice.

Overall, the cookout was going well, even Billy, Jacob's father, was engaging in conversation with the Cullen family members. Ever since Carlisle, the father figure of the Cullen family, had helped Jacob reset his bones last spring after an epic battle with a revengeful vampire named Victoria, Billy had been more than kind to the coven, which he previously hated.

"And what are your plans for next year, Alice?" Billy asked her, joining her in his and Charlie's conversation.

"I've actually decided to stay here in Forks. I've got a job bartending at the tavern in town. It pays well and I have the daytime to enjoy myself," Alice explained. She smiled warmly at the idea, not wanting to leave her friends here.

Billy smiled, "That sounds like a good job for you. I hope you don't get too tired working all those late shifts though." Alice had to suppress her laugh at his hinting joke.

Charlie looked at her surprised, "I thought out of everyone,_ you_ would go to college straight out of high school, Alice." Charlie was slightly disappointed at Bella's decision to take a year off and work. This discouragement was only worsened by the fact that Edward decided to do the same. Charlie did not take to Edward as he did to Jacob, never quite getting over the pain Edward had caused Bella last year when he left her.

"No, I always wanted to know exactly what I want to do before going to college, that way, I'm neither wasting time nor money," Alice explained, knowing full well the Cullen family had more then enough of money and more importantly, time. Charlie nodded in agreement. In Charlie's eyes, Alice could do no wrong.

On the other side of the room there was a very different conversation taking place. Edward and Jacob were arguing the results of their latest hobby, racing each other.

"But you know that I would have beaten you if my shorts I have to carry didn't throw off my aerodynamics," Jacob excused his last loss that took place this morning.

"And what about my clothes? Do you not think that would do the same if not worse?" Edward rebutted, smiling at the care-free manner of conversation.

Bella laughed and piped up her surface reaction to the conversation, "Well then why don't you _both_ race _naked_ then?" She went into a fit of giggles seeing the faces of the boys turn from competitive and focused to embarrassed and slightly disgusted.

Though, something about the conversation unnerved her. Did she miss being fought over? Before, as much as she hated seeing Edward and Jacob fight, she secretly liked the attention. However, she decided earlier this summer that the attention was not worth all the confusion, anger, and pain. Yet, she did miss the way Jacob used to look at her like she was the only person in the room, and how Edward would always be trying his hardest to win her over. Now it seemed like Edward was so sure that he had her that he didn't even try anymore.

Jacob recovered first. "I'm always naked when I race, Bella," he explained as if she was a two year old, wrinkling his nose slightly in humor. He reached up and ruffled his cheek length shaggy black hair. "It would look quite silly if I had wolf-sized cargo shorts…"

Bella was about to respond when Edward suddenly turned pale, which was saying something, as his skin was already paled quite a bit due to his… condition. "What's the ma-" Bella barely got out before she caught Alice in the corner of her eye suddenly running towards the bathroom claiming not to feel well. All of them went silent in an instant, guessing what was taking place. It was common knowledge among all there, except for Charlie, that Alice often had visions of the future.

Charlie, merely commented with a laugh, "I told you Cullens that it was not the best idea to eat your burgers rare… 'family recipe'… HA!" He jokingly teased.

Edward merely coolly responded, "She's already better I'm sure."

Sure enough, Alice stepped out form the bathroom with perfect grace. She looked directly over to Edward and stated, "Sorry everyone, but I think I should just go home and rest."

Edward tossed her his keys, "Here, take my car. Jake or Bella can give me a ride back." Bella hid her hurt in the inclusion of Jacob in the plans, thinking that Edward would want her to take him home. However, her curiosity outweighed her frustration. Jacob merely looked at the Cullens knowing that all would reveal itself in time. However, Bella looked frustrated back and forth between Edward and Alice, obviously wanting to know what Alice had seen. Once Alice had left, Bella gave Edward a pleading look for information. Edward only smiled at her, knowing that Alice was in fact not heading home at all, but towards the east end of town, to meet what was soon to be a friend.

_**Read & Review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Eternal Nights

Ariana walked carefully towards the girl, her boots crunching on the asphalt beneath her feet. Her sharp, silver eyes quickly scanned the area, never quite looking away from the girl. Apprehension and curiosity loomed over Ariana. If she were human, she would have felt a slight chill run up her back, settling on her arms in uncomfortable anxiety. However, she was not and therefore, she walked straight ahead, not deviating from her journey. Did this girl have something to do with Ariana's quest to find others like her? Ariana abruptly stopped when she was ten feet from the girl.

The girl smiled as she called out to her, "Hello. And your answer is yes, to both questions. Yes, I know what you are and yes, there are more like you. I am one of them. I'm Alice."

Ariana looked at her with skepticism, wondering how she knew what was on her mind. Against her better judgment, she responded in a slight Italian accent, "Hello Alice, I'm… Ariana." Her own name sounded so peculiar to her, not having anyone utter it in almost two thousand years. It was painful to think that probably the last person to speak her name was her drunken father, or worse, the last to possibly think of it was her damned mother.

Alice saw this pain easily in Ariana's eyes and felt sympathy wash over her, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask and I have the means to answer them. However, I also have a family, also known as a coven, of more like us. I would hope that you would come back to my house to meet them, as they can probably answer any questions that you might have better than I can. If you'd like, you can ride with me there," She gestured to the silver car she was leaning on. "Or you can run there, following me."

Ariana speculated about this situation for a minute, but thought that it was worth a try to get some answers. After all, she could leave anytime that she wanted to if things did not work out. She stared apprehensively at the car. This would be her first car ride although, Ariana knew she had nothing to fear, she had read all abut cars and knew how they worked.

"I'll ride with you."

Alice bobbed up in excitement; she quickly went around and opened the door for Ariana, who swiftly stepped in, and then got in on the driver's side. Alice smiled at her as she started the car and drove very quickly down the road. Ariana was surprised at the speed of the vehicle. It seemed a lot faster once one was inside.

Alice quickly started a conversation, "Oh I really hope you like Forks; that's the town you are in by the way. It is very lovely and has plenty of nice people."

Ariana responded awkwardly, misinterpreting her meaning, "Uh… I don't eat people…" She expected a disbelieving response, but was pleasantly surprised when Alice laughed happily.

"Oh, I meant nice people to meet. My family does not feed on humans either. True, Jasper does struggle with it, but he's still young to our liffestyle. Jasper is my mate… well husband really," Alice explained, feeling free to open up to her since her vision clearly showed her as a friend. "We are all coupled off in my coven. Carlisle's got Esme, Rosalie and Emmett, Edward and Bella. Well, Edward is half-coupled off. Bella hasn't made 'the change' yet. I always knew Edward would never find his love in the usual means." Alice chattered on about the whole family until they reached the Cullens' residence.

Ariana was extremely nervous. This Alice girl seemed friendly, but what of her family? Would they take to her as well as Alice seemed to take to Ariana? Would they know anything of her mother?

"So what about you? What's your family like? Do you have a husband or er… wife?" Alice chattered as they walked towards the house.

Ariana laughed slightly, "I do like _men,_ Alice. But no, I am all alone, I always have been… I once had a family, but that was a very, very long time ago."

Alice had no time to comment because just as she opened her mouth to reply, the rest of the Cullens stepped out of the house.

"Welcome to our home, Ariana. My name is Carlisle. This is my wife Esme and my children, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and soon to be Bella." He smiled at her with a loving, anxious smile.

Feeling the fear and anxiety leave her as if some outside force was calming her, she remembered Alice talking about Jasper's special ability. As she wondered if she had her own special ability, Ariana replied, "It is nice to meet you all indeed. I hope that I am not intruding on your territory or breaking some rule out of ignorance. I am afraid I have never met anyone quite like myself before." She explained eloquently.

"Well I'm sure you have plenty of questions. Of course, you're welcome to come in and make yourself at home. You may stay as long as you wish." Esme said in a smooth, soothing voice. She walked towards Ariana, extending her welcome.

Ariana slowly stepped forward, feeling that this moment would change her life. Entering the Cullen home, she marveled at the size and friendliness of the home. This was more than she expected.

Overall, Ariana existed fairly simply. Her only possessions were the wide-leg dark wash jeans she was wearing, which she found in an abandoned shopping mall, her mangy black boots, and a yellow t-shirt with the name "Guster" written on it. She assumed that this was some sort of band name because of the tour dates on the back and would be inclined to like their music merely because how long she had owned this shirt. She had a backpack that had one book in it, _Interview with a Vampire_, ironically, and a collection of a hundred or so clippings from newspapers. This was all Ariana needed.

However, looking around the Cullens' massive residence, Ariana began to see herself enjoying the comforts of furniture, a good library of books, and even a music collection of her own. She examined each of the Cullen family members. Her eyes were first drawn to the tall blond woman who had a look as if she did not want to be there. Then to her rather muscular counterpart who seemed friendly, but slightly reserved. Her eyes then drifted over to Alice and who must be Jasper. He was looking at her with curious eyes, something to be expected. Then her eyes settled on the one called Edward. He was a good looking fellow, with a friendly face, but what made him catch her eye was the way that he was looking at the human, who Ariana remembered was named Bella. He looked at her with such loving, understanding eyes, staying involved on what was going on but constantly making sure she was nothing short of blissful. It was quite romantic. She only wished that someone would look at her that way.

Ariana blushed as she remembered Edward could hear her thoughts. She concentrated on thinking: _You two make a very sweet couple. _Edward looked at her and smiled. He then spoke to her, "So Ariana what brings you to this part of the country?"

Ariana could feel all the other eyes in the room fall on her. "I really do not know. I guess I was just looking for more like me. And I guess now I am done looking." She laughed lightly and nervously, joined by the rest out of politeness.

"There are very many different kinds of vampires, Ariana." Carlisle pointed out. "We actually happen to be a unique group. I can point you in the right direction to finding them, or you may stay and learn from us."

Ariana nodded.

"Well dear, what would you like to know?" Esme asked her sweetly.

"Um… I really do not know now that I'm here. I have had all this time to think of what to say, but now it all sounds silly. I guess, er… What is our origin? How did vampires come to exist?" She felt like a child in the midst of adults.

Carlisle looked at her thoughtfully, "Those are good questions and we really don't know. According to records the oldest vampire dates back until sometime around the volcanic massacre at Pompeii." Ariana reddened. "But we have no idea how these first vampires were created." He looked at her with knowing eyes, "You were one of these, were you not?"

Ariana's eyes widened as she looked around at the others, each looking at her with some shock and fear. "I believe so, yes." She admitted, wondering why Carlisle could tell so easily.

"Yes, that is quite easy to tell. You see, your eyes give you away." He walked towards her slowly, "The more silver the eyes, the purer the vampire line. You must've been bitten by one of the first vampires. However, you are possibly the only silver-eyed vampire on earth, even if older ones still survive." He looked at her and at the others, mostly receiving puzzled looks, except from Edward, who of course, was following his train of thought. "You see, when one drinks the blood of humans on a regular basis, one's eyes become red-tinted, based on our human blood intake. Therefore even if there were other Pompeian vampires around…"

"You wouldn't know they were because of their eyes," Ariana answered.

"Exactly," Carlisle smiled. "However, when one is… vegetarian, in a sense, ones eyes remain the amber color that graces my family here. But, if you compare my eyes with say, those of Alice, you will see that her eyes remain slightly more silver than mine, because she was bitten by a vampire with an older, purer lineage than me." He explained this not only to her, but to some of the others who were not aware.

Ariana was really impressed with Carlisle's extensive knowledge, "So I guess it was a good thing I do not drink human blood then."

"Well I must say it is a relief to not have to explain to you why we feed the way we feed. Most of our visitors think us absurd." Carlisle commented, most likely filled in by Alice or Edward on Ariana's views of eating humans. "But I am curious to know, why you chose the path you did?"

"I was bitten merely minutes before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. I was left in a sealed tomb where I could hear the screaming of the people." She could hear them now, haunting her as she told her story. "I knew that those were peoples' mothers and fathers dying out there, their daughters and sons. When I woke, I could not stand the thought of taking away another person's family, as mine was taken. I could not bear the thought. So, to this day I have never tasted human blood, and honestly do not even feel the slightest thirst for it. I guess I am lucky that I am immune from that temptation." She finished speaking and looked around the room once more.

"We share similar views in this family as well," Esme responded.

There was an awkward silence that followed.

"And after all these years you did not find anyone to help you find your way in the world… no mate to share it with?" Emmett asked, partly out of sympathy, part curiosity.

"Unfortunately not. I have been alone for quite a long time." Ariana looked down at her feet in sadness. "It is rare to find a lone vampire?"

"Not as much as one would think, but enough to take notice. Most vampires find their mate within the first hundred years of their… rebirth. It is odd to find someone as… _old_… as yourself without some sort of companion." Carlisle explained. Ariana thought it was weird to think of herself as old. True, she had seen more than most and had been around a long time, but she still had a lot to experience. This family could possibly help her grow, and she really would not mind the company.

Edward suddenly spoke up, "Do not give up; your mate will come along." He tried to reassure her. Ariana smiled at him in gratitude and with as much awkwardness as a vampire could involuntarily muster. She saw Bella give his hand a slight squeeze of affection.

"Well, Ariana, you are welcome to stay with us as long as you wish, having the option to join our family as well." Carlisle offered.

She looked at him with great consideration, "I think I will."

**Author's Note: **Thanks to my awesome beta! Please, Read & Review!


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